Expand+Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements:
Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Grades in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, and three other subjects recognised for entry purpose...

Hide-Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements:
Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Grades in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements: Students must satisfy the Garda/police vetting requirements.

Matriculation

For holders of the Leaving Certificate, six subjects are required, with a minimum Grade H5 in two subjects, and at least Grade O6/H7 in four other subjects.

An applicant may combine the results of the Leaving Certificate examinations obtained in different years for matriculation registration purposes for all programmes with the exception of Medicine (refer to section 1(h)). This concession applies to matriculation only; it does not apply to the calculation of points for admission.

Acceptable Subjects
All subjects of the current Leaving Certificate examination are accepted for matriculation purposes, with the following exceptions:

Gaeilge – Bonnleibhéal (Irish, Foundation Level) will not be accepted for matriculation or points purposes.

Mathematics (Ordinary Alternative/Foundation Level) will be accepted for matriculation purposes, but not as a substitute for the subject Mathematics in programmes for which the subject Mathematics is currently an entry requirement. Neither will a score be awarded for a grade in this subject.

Home Economics (General), which has been discontinued from 2004, is not an acceptable matriculation subject for admission to NUI Galway. However, Leaving Certificate Home Economics – Scientific and Social is an acceptable matriculation subject for admission. The combining of the following subjects is not permitted:

• Physics with Chemistry (joint) may not be presented with either Physics or Chemistry

• Only two of History, Economic History and Economics may be presented

• Music and Musicianship may not be presented with Music

• Agricultural Economics may not be presented with Economics

• Classical Studies may not be presented with Latin or Greek

Laboratory science subjects:
The following subjects in the Irish Leaving Certificate are recognised laboratory science subjects:

• Agricultural Science
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics and Chemistry (joint)
• Physics

Bonus Points for Maths
A bonus of 25 points will be allocated to students who achieve grade H6 or above in Higher Level (HL) Mathematics. This means that the maximum cumulative Leaving Certificate points total will increase from 600 to 625 (existing maximum points plus bonus points).

The bonus points will only be relevant in cases where the subject HL Mathematics (including bonus points) is scored as one of the candidate’s six best subjects for points purposes. Consequently, if HL Mathematics (cumulative points score) is not among these six subjects, the bonus points will not be included in the total points score.

The maximum possible adjusted points score for applicants to Medicine will increase from 560 to 565. (For all scores over 550, each 5-point band equals one extra point.) The baseline score of 480 points will still apply but can include the bonus points if HL Mathematics (cumulative points) is among the best six subjects.

Special Maths Examination
The Special Maths Examination is for students who achieve sufficient CAO entry points and satisfy all other entry requirements but who do not achieve the requisite grade in Mathematics in the Leaving Certificate for admission to certain undergraduate engineering courses. For information on the examination and details on how to apply, please consult our website.
Find out more
www.nuigalway.ie/engineering-informatics/prospectivestudents/ specialentrancemathsexamination

Selection Scheme for Medicine (allocation of places)
In order for school leavers to be eligible to compete for entry to undergraduate Medicine, they must:

a) achieve a minimum of 480 points, and

b) meet the minimum entry requirements for the programme in the same sitting of the Irish Leaving Certificate examination or equivalent examination, and

c) complete the required admissions test (HPAT-Ireland) in 2017. Results are now only valid in the year of entry.

Further information on the selection scheme and allocation of places is available online. Applications for admission to the MB (Bachelor of Medicine) programme in NUI Galway from students who are attending, or have previously attended, all or part of a medical degree programme in another institution are considered only from those who successfully complete the examination requirements of the year of the programme last taken by them or being taken in the year in which application for transfer is being made in the institution from which they are seeking to transfer.

If those examination requirements are not successfully completed, an application may be considered if a reasonable interval (normally not less than three years) has elapsed and if the applicant, through her/his intervening experience and/or otherwise, indicates better preparedness to successfully undertake university studies again.

All such applicants must satisfy the normal entry requirements and standards of the programme to which they are seeking admission.

Find out more www.nuigalway.ie/admissions/procedures/medindex.html

Expand+Mature – Applying on the Grounds of Mature Years

If you are at least 23 years of age on or before 1 January 2017 and if your school leaving examination results do not meet normal matriculation and entry requirements, you may apply on the grounds ...

Hide-Mature – Applying on the Grounds of Mature Years

If you are at least 23 years of age on or before 1 January 2017 and if your school leaving examination results do not meet normal matriculation and entry requirements, you may apply on the grounds of mature years. In general, applicants are selected on the basis of academic aptitude, which may include certain Leaving Certificate subjects, relevant work and life experience, and evidence of motivation and interest in the programme area. These areas should be addressed in the written application.

It is strongly advised that intending applicants consult the Mature Students’ Guide prior to making an application for information on the application process and assessment criteria. Full details are available from October 2016 in the Mature Students’ Guide, which can be found online or by emailing NUI Galway.

All applicants intending to apply for Arts (including denominated programmes) in 2017 on the grounds of mature years will be required to take the Mature Students’ Admissions Pathway (MSAP) test as part of the selection process. There will be one sitting only of this test in 2017 and it will take place on Saturday 4 March 2017.

All applicants intending to apply for Medicine in 2017 on the grounds of mature years will be required to take the HPAT Test. Registration closes on Monday 20 January 2017 and the test date is Saturday 25 February 2017. Mature applicants must also have an Honours Science subject to Leaving Certificate standard prior to taking the HPAT test. Successful candidates will be invited to the MMI interview in May.

Application must be made by 1 February 2017 through the Central Applications Office. Please note that a late application cannot be made by those applying on grounds of mature years. The applicant must ensure that copies of all relevant information – for example, certificates, transcripts and a personal statement – are included with the CAO application.

Admission on the grounds of mature years is competitive. Applicants who are successful in gaining admission on the grounds of mature years are also assessed on the basis of their school leaving qualifications (if any) in competition with other applicants.

Find out more
Mature Students’ Guide
maturestudents@nuigalway.ie
www.nuigalway.ie/mature
MSAP test information
http://msap-ie.acer.edu.au/

CAO
www.cao.ie
HPAT test information
www.hpat-ireland.acer.edu.au/
Further advice and guidance
T +353 91 492 695
www.nuigalway.ie/mature

Expand+Early online application (discounted): Fee €25 Closing Date: 20th January 2017 at 5:15pm

Normal online application: Fee €40 Closing Date: 1st February 2017 at 5:15pm

Late online application - restrictions apply: Fee: €50 Closing Date: 1st May 2...

Hide-Early online application (discounted): Fee €25 Closing Date: 20th January 2017 at 5:15pm

Normal online application: Fee €40 Closing Date: 1st February 2017 at 5:15pm

Late online application - restrictions apply: Fee: €50 Closing Date: 1st May 2017 at 5:15 pm

Change of Mind: Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1st July 2017 5:15 pm

Exceptional online late application - see page 14 of the 2017 CAO Handbook: Fee €50 Closing Date: 22nd July 2017 at 5:15pm

You should avoid submitting an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all fees are non-refundable.

LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5:15pm on 1st February 2017 and will be accepted up to 5:15pm on 1st May 2017, subject to the restricitions listed on page 3 of the 2017 CAO Handbook.

Late Applications (Exception to Timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22nd of July at 5:15pm applies only to applicants who are currently undergraduate students in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system.

If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.

Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.

Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Trinity College Dublin and the University of Limerick have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these three HEIs, you should apply through CAO.

Refer to page 15 of the 2017 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.

Restricted-category Applicants
Mature applicants – most HEIs will require mature applicants, who wish to be assessed on mature grounds, to have applied to CAO by 1st February 2017 at 5:15pm. (This restriction does not apply if the applicant wishes to be considered on the basis of school leaving qualifications only.) For more information about applying to CAO on the basis of mature years go to www.cao.ie/mature.

Applying for the HEAR and/or DARE schemes – to be considered for the HEAR and/or DARE schemes applicants must have registered on the CAO system by 1st February 2017 at 5:15pm and must have completed the HEAR/DARE application form by 1st March 2017 at 5:15pm – supporting documents must be sent to CAO offices before 1st April 2017 at 5:15pm.

Expand+The BA (Children’s Studies) is a new interdisciplinary programme that is particularly suited to school leavers interested in developing careers working with or on behalf of children.

During the four years of the BA, students gain valuable insight...

Hide-The BA (Children’s Studies) is a new interdisciplinary programme that is particularly suited to school leavers interested in developing careers working with or on behalf of children.

During the four years of the BA, students gain valuable insights into the important, and often undervalued, contribution made by children to society. They will learn to discern children’s voices, to reflect critically on the human condition from the perspective of children and to advocate for the young. Students will gain practical insights into the varied contexts in which children’s lives are shaped, defined and contained, and gain an appreciation of what is involved in developing best practices for working with children and young people.

The BA (Children’s Studies) is grounded in the intellectual traditions of the humanities, the social sciences and the health sciences, and it combines these fields with contemporary critical perspectives drawn from multidisciplinary approaches to childhood.

Graduates of the BA (Children’s Studies) will have a thorough understanding of the social, emotional, legal and cultural factors that shape the lives of children and young people across history and different cultures. They will gain an appreciation of children’s rights, education, welfare and child-development as well as knowledge of the methodologies and research practices that inform this child-centered and rights-based field of study.

Work placement
During the third year of the programme, students go on work placement for one semester, either nationally or internationally.

The aim of this placement is to provide students with experience of working with or on behalf of children. Placements can be taken in primary schools, after-school settings, children’s libraries, museums and arts organisations, children’s rights and advocacy organisations, hospitals and day-care centres and research centres. All placements will be closely monitored and assessed by both the host organisation and the University.

International links
Students who take a foreign language as part of their BA (Children’s Studies) will have the option to study for a semester at a European University under the Erasmus exchange programme before carrying out their second semester work placement (either in Ireland or abroad). Students who are interested in studying in Canada may also apply for a one semester exchange at the University of York in their third year. The allocation of international (non-EU) exchange places is based on student performance in the second year. Other opportunities may also be available.

Expand+Year One
▶ Introduction to Children’s Studies
▶ Children in Social Contexts
▶ Children and Fairytales
▶ Children and Health
▶ History of Childhood
▶ Child Development

Year Two
▶ Exploring Irish Chil...

Hide-Year One
▶ Introduction to Children’s Studies
▶ Children in Social Contexts
▶ Children and Fairytales
▶ Children and Health
▶ History of Childhood
▶ Child Development

Year Two
▶ Exploring Irish Childhoods
▶ Adolescents in Ireland: Healthy and Risky Behaviour
▶ Research Methods
▶ Child Law
▶ Educational Pedagogies: Policies and Practice
▶ Children and Storytelling

Year Three
▶ Semester 1 Modules will include: Adolescent Health in Global Context Children and Play Child-Centered Research
▶ Semester 2
Semester-long placement/ exchange

Year Four
▶ Children’s Rights, Children and Theatre
▶ Twentieth-Century Children’s Literature
▶ Children and Inequalities
▶ Independent Project

Equivalent Modules may be substituted from time to time for any of the above under exceptional circumstances and when approved by the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies

Expand+Career prospects
Career options include advocacy work, children’s research, children’s journalism, children’s television and film production, children’s librarianship, child-minding, pubic policy, arts administration, museum work, child welfare wor...

Hide-Career prospects
Career options include advocacy work, children’s research, children’s journalism, children’s television and film production, children’s librarianship, child-minding, pubic policy, arts administration, museum work, child welfare work, children’s rights activism, social work, counselling and international development work as well as primary school teaching. Many of these career choices require additional education or professional training at postgraduate level Students who are interested in becoming primary school teachers should note that this will require the addition of a two-year Postgraduate Masters in Education at an Irish college of Education combined with the Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge.

Further study
There are a wide range of postgraduate courses (taught and research) at NUI Galway and at other universities in Ireland and abroad that will be attractive to graduates looking to pursue further education in Children’s Studies. These include areas such as play therapy, social work, health promotion, arts administration, teaching, special-needs teaching, speech and language therapy, public advocacy and activism.